they simply said it's up to harry reid in the senate. is he preparing a bill? there was a lot of talk of small ball. a bill to allow taxes to go up on everybody or at least couples that make more than $250,000 a year. $200,000 with single filers. harry reid said he is not going to prepare a bill unless mitch mcconnell allows it to come for a vote for a simple majority. they are seeking assurances that he won't try to block it. for his part he said it's up to the president to lead. unclear if anything is going to happen today. it's becoming more and more likely we will hit january 1st without a resolution. >> peter, obviously the president gets back a little bit from now. what are we hearing about their strategy? we have that very effective bully pulpit? >> it's a good question. the president is supposed to arrive a couple hours from now. 72 degrees for honolulu. better hope he brings sunshine back with him. the real challenge is when he gets here, there is barely 100 hours before the headline hits. he said a short time ago describing their strategy and it remai